READERS: Hey! I'm sorry it has taken so long to update again! One I have a request to make. When you all review this next chapter, can you please tell me what you like and what you don't like about the last two chapters? For part of my final in English I have to have my peers review something I've written. It'd be much appreciated!

To:………….

Emerald-flourish : I'm glad you found my story, too! I love getting reviews. Thank you so much for the compliments! I love your reviews.

Anonymous: I definitely think you should write your version of this story. I'd love to read it!

Daydreamqueen: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like the next chapter.

Squid freak: We share a love of Squid! LoL. Thanks for reviewing.

Degrassichick: I love Degrassi! Keep reading!

Daniel-radcliffs-girl: A Harry Potter fan, eh? I love that little wizard! LoL. Thank you for reviewing!

Angelofdeadlydarkness0010: Thanks for the review. I hope you like the update! I hope it's "OMG" worthy.

Taylor: Thank you so much! I'm very glad you like it. I'm sorry you didn't approve of the explicit part, but I hope you'll understand later why it was put in. I tried not to make it too graphic, which I don't think I did, cause I know I hate reading stuff that makes you say "Whoah! Too much info!" LoL. Anyway, the part about Jake….something very similar happened to me. Most of the other stuff about her past, such as her mother always going away for jobs, is not an experience of mine…I actually have a very good mom. Keep reading!

Zigsgirl: Hi! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Everyone who reviewed Ch. 21(actually ch. 20) but not Ch.22 (actually 21): Don't leave me! LoL. I hope y'all will continue reading.

Lucie pondered for a moment Caveman's consideration. He wasn't acting strange around her and he was talking about something else, seemingly with no problem. She wondered how he could keep so cool after just finding out what he had.

"What's your plan?" she asked, and lifted herself out of her hole to sit beside Caveman.

He had a look of intense determination in his eyes and at that moment, Lucie knew his plan would work. It was going to be The Plan.

"Okay, I've been thinking a lot about it and we have to have outside help. We could take the treasure and take off, but where would we go? It wouldn't be long until we ran out of food and water and who knows how far away the nearest town is."

Lucie nodded. "So, who did you have in mind?"

"My parents," he said simply. "They're the only ones who can prove the treasure belongs to us. But we're gonna need even more help. My parents can get what we need to prove it's ours, but we need someone to prove it to."

"Like a judge or a lawyer or something," Lucie said, catching on.

Caveman nodded and smiled, pleased that she understood where he was going. "We have to have someone to order the warden to let us keep it. And since you are the only one who could use the telephone to get in touch with all these people, it's going to have to be up to you."

Caveman took a deep breath. "Now, this might be pushing it, so just stop me if you think I sound crazy. Once the treasure is gone, there will be no reason for us to keep digging up the lake, since we all know that's what she was looking for all this time. I want to get out of here. And the only way that's going to happen, I think, is if your aunt agrees to shut down the place. She can claim we were digging to build character when it comes to the authorities, but when they're gone, who knows what she'll make us do. Now, the way I see it, she's not going to agree to shut down the camp and go home unless there's something to make her want to go home." Caveman stopped to swallow and lick his dried out lips and make sure Lucie was keeping up with him.

The wheels in Lucie's head were turning and her mind flashed to something she had thought about before and a phone call she had made to a friend back home.

Caveman added, "I was thinking we could make her an offer on keeping part of the treasure, or something like that. I don't know….buy her a house maybe."

"I have a better idea," Lucie said smiling. "It's something I had already started, and if it works out, I think she will definitely be willing to leave this place."

The guys and Lucie had had a meeting about the plan in D-tent after everyone had gone to bed. It was the unanimous decision that they go with Caveman's plan. The only other suggestion had been by Magnet to bring in a hot air balloon to carry them and the treasure away, after they had tied the warden to a moving train and burned the camp down. "Oh yeah, Magnet," X-Ray had said sarcastically, "That's a realistic plan. Let's get right on it."

Everyone agreed they should wait a week to set the plan into motion. They needed more time to think every aspect through to make sure nothing went wrong.

Squid insisted on walking Lucie back to the cabin after the meeting was over, which spawned crude remarks and lots of laughing and "ooooh"ing from the other guys. Lucie's face reddened as they walked out of the tent. She was mildly concerned that Squid's motive for this was the hope of another night like the previous. What concerned her the most though, she thought, silently thanking God that no one could read her mind, was that part of her wanted the same thing.

She looked over at Squid and he half-smiled at her. "I thought we needed some time to talk alone."

Lucie didn't respond, but just returned her gaze to the path in front of them. Would they go to the porch to talk, or would they wander into the tree cove, just like last night? She didn't know how it would feel to be there with him again.

Squid sighed at her silence. They both walked silently until they got to the cabin and stopped outside Lucie's window. A cool breeze blew, making chills pop up on her arms.

"Look, if you don't wanna talk, we don't have to," Squid said in his southern accent. "I, personally, think we should, but that doesn't matter."

Lucie didn't say anything. She just looked over her shoulder at the window.

"Okay, well, goodnight."

Squid started to walk away, but Lucie grabbed him by the wrist, pulled him back and kissed him forcefully on the lips. He looked taken aback when she pulled away, but a grin was visible on his lips.

"What was that for?"

"So you know we're okay."

"We are?"

Lucie nodded. "I know I've been quiet, but it's not because I'm mad at you in any way."

"But it is about last night."

She nodded again and leaned back against the wooden wall of the cabin. "Don't you have any concerns about it? I mean, if you think about it, you don't know me all that well."

"My only concern is that you are okay with it. I don't regret it at all. I know I care about you, and to me that's all that matters."

"I want to deal with this together," she told him and took a deep breath. "I'm worried we made a mistake." She said quickly, just wanting to get it all out in the open. They couldn't deal with it together if she wasn't honest with him.

Squid's face fell but he nodded. "I figured. And you're probably right. But I want to deal with it together, too."

"Then let's just take it one step at a time. Starting with not letting it happen again." When Squid agreed she added. "We can kiss, but if things start heating up, we have to stop. Aside from that, I just need to know you're not going to leave me. If I get in weird moods, which I will, please don't be impatient and annoyed with me."

Squid pulled her into a hug. His strong arms around her made her feel safe. "You know I'm here for you," he said into her hair.

"There's something else," she said without meaning to. She hadn't planned on bringing this up now.

"What is it?"

Lucie swallowed the knot in her throat. "At the end of the summer, when I go back home and…and you're still here…or even if something happens with the treasure. If Stanley's plan works and we all get out sooner than we thought…"

"You know what, Lucie?" Squid replied when her sentence trailed off. He could hear her quiet struggle not to cry. "I think last night we made a commitment to each other. It happened fast, I know, maybe too fast, but we did. But for right now, let's just agree to wait until that time comes to deal with that."

The next morning, Lucie put on a huge show of faking sick so she could stay in and work on her part of the plan, the part that could possibly get them all out of there. She put blush on her cheeks to make them look flushed, carefully spread dark blue eyeshadow lightly under her eyes to give the effect of bags under her eyes, and after misting warm water on her forehead and chest, held the thermometer to the light bulb until it read 102.2. She crawled in bed and stayed there until the warden burst in her door and yelled at her that she was late and to get up. Jake jumped at the sound of the warden's wrath and woke up, looking terrified. Lucie groaned and wiped her head.

"I'm so cold, Aunt Lou." She held up the thermometer. "But this says my temperature is 102. Is it broken? I can't possibly be that warm….I'm s-so cold. Why are you yelling?" She asked, and put her hands over her ears, even though her aunt hadn't spoken. She remembered when she was very young having a fever and thinking everyone was yelling at her when they weren't. She hoped her aunt had had the same experience at some point so she would think Lucie's fake fever was authentic.

The warden looked uneasy. She had obviously never dealt with a sick person before.

"Um, where do you hurt?" She looked half-worried, half-doubtful.

"Everywhere. My legs won't g-get comfortable and I can't stop sh-shivering."

Jake stood up and crossed the room. "That sounds like the flu."

The warden looked at Jake and then back at Lucie. "Well, um, I suppose you should stay in today. I'll get you something to drink. What do you want?"

"Orange juice is best," Jake suggested, sitting down on the bed next to Lucie and brushing the hair from her face. He put his hand against her forehead. "Oh God, you're burning up. I'll get you a cold washcloth to put on your head."

The warden looked Lucie up and down again and then left the room to fetch a glass of orange juice.

When she was out of sight, Jake chuckled. "Nice."

"What?" Lucie asked in her sick voice.

"I saw you come in late last night. And then I saw you get up early this morning and stay in the bathroom for a while." He rubbed his finger over the blush on her cheek, and showed her the pink mark it left on his finger. "I figured you were up to something."

Lucie sighed. "Busted."

The warden came back in and handed Lucie a tiny juice glass with about three sips of orange juice in it. Lucie looked uneasily at Jake, who immediately jumped back into the act, much to Lucie's surprise. He helped her sit up and fluffed her pillow while she drank down the orange juice. Her aunt looked at her watch and said, "I have to go, but you just stay in here today. Drink as much orange juice as you need."

"So, care to clue me in?" Jake asked when they heard the front door slam after the warden.

"Why didn't you rat me out?"

Jake sighed. "I know you think I'm a terrible person Lucie, but I'm not. Whatever you're up to is important to you, so I wanted to help."

"Thank you," she told him sincerely.

"Now, what's going on?" He pressed.

"I can't tell you everything right now, Jake, there's not time," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, is there anything I can do to help without knowing the whole story?"

"Not really,"

"Okay." He stood up and walked back to his side of the room, where he started picking up articles of clothing that were lying around his cot. "Well, I'm not going to be around much longer anyway," he told her. "I decided to go on home. I can see I'm not going to get my way this time. You've moved on, and I should, too. I just hope we can be friends one day."

Lucie smiled. "I think we can be friends." Then a thought occurred to her. "Jake, if you're going home, then you can help me. I got in touch with Steph to do it, but so far she hasn't had any luck."

"What is it?"

"I need you to find someone for me. His name is Michael Brightmon. He was at camp here in 1977. That's all I know, but I need you to find him."

Jake nodded right away. "No problem. I'll find him."

A/N: Caveman's plan is subject to change…LoL. I couldn't make up my mind how I wanted it to be done, so if it changes, I'll re-write part of this chapter and let you know!